Spotted this article on Axios today:
EVs aren't straining the electric grid - and they just might save it
Article cites value of 2-way charging as means of bolstering grid's resiliancy, with limits determined by vehicle owners, a feature already found in Nissan's Leaf.
That article is a mostly a non-technical agenda piece. This is a more useful and fact-based article from the IEEE, albeit not the latest thinking (from 2017):
henderson-novosel-crow-electric-power-grid-modernization.pdf
How well local grids can handle two-way power is highly variable. Many local grids have very limited (if any) capabilities. It's best to check with your local electric utility than assume anything. They'll usually ask for your street address to give you an accurate answer. A lot depends, apparently, on what your neighbors have already done.
One consideration homeowners should ponder very carefully is the complexities of roof-mounted solar installations. Depending on the design and construction of your roof, the age of the roof should be considered before a solar installation. If your roof is 20 years old or older, step one might be a roof renovation before the solar panel installation. If you need extensive repairs after the panels are installed, step one may be removing them first. Our roof is large and flat and we live in a high elevation area with an average of 310 days of sunshine per year, perfect for solar panels, but the roof is 16 years old, and I wasn't in the mood for a ~$40K roofing job before the solar installation started. If you think you might have roofing issues in the future, it's best to budget for a solar de-install / re-install should serious problems happen. I've also been told to have a discussion about solar panel installations with my homeowner's insurance company, because I've heard from neighbors that some of these companies are not solar-friendly.
In the article you quoted, it talks about charging EVs at night, when community usage is lower, but that's becoming more and more out of date. Renewable power is usually at its peak generation during daylight hours, and base load plants (coal, nuclear, NG) are being decommissioned or, in the case of natural gas turbines, postponed. The notion that night charging is better looks like it will change over time, as renewable power becomes a greater percentage of total generation.
I like the notion of EVs a lot. They're just plain better technologically, IMO, but still early in the technology development process, especially regarding charging. I'm on the fence about investing for the time being.
Home solar installations are complex systems, and most homeowners I talk to don't really understand the future maintenance and repair issues, or the impact on marketability if the home has an older solar power system. I talk to quite a few people who are excited about what they've done, but I think I'll be a trailing adopter of home solar.
